Villagers forced to repair road in Tenasserim division

August 29, 2009

HURFOM: On July 27th, Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 282 commended village headman to force villagers to work repairing the road from Yapu to ChaBoe villages. The repairs cover an 8 miles stretch of road in Kaleinaung sub-township, Tenasserim Division.

The Yapu village headman, Kin Mg Oo, announced that one person from each household would have to take part in the road repairs and that works would have to bring their own food. Households that don’t want to work, or are unable to, have to pay 3,500 kyat.

Villagers who are tapped for the project will have to spend a week working on repairs to the road.

One Yapu resident explained, “I am daily worker, I can’t pay. I had to go [do road work] instead of making my daily income. I had to work a week for repairing the road. My wife had to borrow rice and other food from my neighbor’s shop.”

“The reasons for repairing this road are that we hope the residents will travel more easily and trade with other villages,” said a member of the of the village militia. “This road will only [positively] effect [the lives] of our residents.”

However, some villagers believe that the military intends to use the road for their own operations against the rebel groups, and could more easily transport troops, weapons and equipment to the area.

“Trucks can have trouble during the rainy season. They often slip in the mud,” said a Yapu villager. “The rebel groups are also active around this area. I think the military needs this road to transport their troops and operate effectively against them [rebel groups].”

The authorities also collected 2,000 kyat from each household from the neighboring villages of Alaesakhan and Mayan.

“This is not our road but they forced us to pay for it,” said an Alaesakhan resident. “It’s unfair because the road is no good affects for our village.”

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News